When using such conventionally shaped cigarette rolling paper to make or roll a cigarette by hand, the paper is first folded, bent or held in somewhat of a V-shape or U-shape with one of the sides of the “V” or “U” being longer than the other. An amount of smoking material, such as tobacco or the like, is distributed substantially over the entire length of the rolling paper in the bottom of the V- or U-shaped pouch formed by the rolling paper. The longer portion of the rolling paper, being free of any of the smoking material, is then bent or rolled over the portion of the rolling paper covered with the tobacco and is rolled over upon itself to form a substantially cylindrical shape. The longer end of the rolling paper is wrapped around itself as far as possible and overlaps an underlying layer to form part of the wall of the cylinder.
The rolling process, when performed by hand, requires a keen eye, a steady hand, and a high degree of digital dexterity, since the rolling paper is not very large compared to a human hand, since the particles of smoking materials tend to roll or slide off the small rolling paper, and since the rolling paper itself is very thin and easily ripped or torn. A critical step of rolling a cigarette by hand is using ones fingers to both form the “V” or “U” shaped pouch for the smoking material, and to roll the longer portion of the rolling paper around itself. During the process of rolling the longer portion of the paper around itself, the user depends on the trapped smoking material to provide the generally cylindrical shape to guide placement of the longer portion around itself to produce a generally cylindrical cigarette.
Oftentimes, however, the use of smoking material to guide placement of the longer portion around itself does not aid in producing a cylinder due to either poor distribution of smoking material along the V- or U-shaped pouch, causing the longer portion to be rolled too tight or too loose around itself, with respect to the majority portion of the smoking material, or due simply to the user's inability to correctly manipulate or spiral the cigarette rolling paper around itself between their fingers. The result of either of these situations can be an unsmokable cigarette, a cigarette that falls apart, or a cigarette that is torn, which also has the effect of making the cigarette unsmokable.
Cigarettes that are rolled by hand using conventional cigarette rolling paper do not include filters or other means for preventing the smoking material from being drawn into the users mouth. One method that is used to prevent smoking material from being drawn into a users mouth has been to restrict the size of the opening by pinching or twisting the end of the rolling paper upon itself. While this method is somewhat effective at reducing passage of smoking material from the cigarette, it also restricts the amount of air that can be drawn through the cigarette, and this restricts consumption of the smoking material. Restricting the cigarette air passage also requires a larger effort by the smoker that reduces smoking pleasure.
Cigarettes that are rolled using conventional cigarette rolling paper also do not permit complete use of the smoking material disposed within because the cigarette can only be smoked until the lit end approaches the user's fingers or lips during holding or smoking, the cigarette must be dispensed, and at which time a user's fingers or lips may be burned.
It is, therefore, desirable that a method and apparatus be provided for cigarette rolling paper be constructed in a manner that assists the user in rolling a cigarette by hand. It is desirable that the cigarette rolling paper be constructed in a manner that prevents smoking material from being drawn from the cigarette into a smoker's mouth. It is also desirable that the cigarette rolling paper be constructed in a manner that permits the entire smoking material to be smoked without the risk of burned fingers or burned lips. It is further desirable that the cigarette rolling paper be constructed from conventional materials using conventional techniques.
A segment of the smoking population enjoys smoking hand rolled cigars or cigarettes. Typically, these individuals purchase rolling papers, tobacco leaves or cigar wrapping materials and hand roll their preferred brand of crushed tobacco, or herbs such as cloves, into a custom-made cigarette or cigar. The result is a personally customized tobacco or herbal product with superior smell and taste than a prefabricated store bought product. Hand fabricating cigars or cigarettes is time consuming and requires finger dexterity and skill.
Prior art includes tobacco products formed by rolling moistened tobacco leaves about a cylindrical form casing to form a shell whereby a consumer can fill the shell with crushed tobacco. In one embodiment of the prior art a slit is formed through a wall of the shell to allow prying open of the shell to insert the crushed tobacco. The slit must then be closed and sealed again prior to smoking the product. In another embodiment, a funnel is used to deposit the crushed tobacco into the ends of the cylindrical shell.
Disadvantages of these prior art tobacco products include: extended time and requisite finger dexterity required to place crushed tobacco in the end openings of a prefabricated cylindrical shell; extended time and requisite finger dexterity required to pry open a slit in the prefabricated shell and place crushed tobacco into the shell; wasted tobacco or herbal product resulting from the end, or butt, of the cigar or cigarette becoming unholdable due to increased temperatures as the product burns during consumption; tobacco debris sucked through the end of the tobacco product during consumption that ends up in the mouth or respiratory system of the consumer; fast burn rates at the end of the cigar the consumer lights—the end many consumers assert has the best flavor and is most enjoyable; and uneven distributions of nicotine—the result of a generally cylindrically shaped product burning during consumption.
While certain novel features of this invention shown and described below are pointed out in the annexed claims, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details specified, since a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art will understand that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. No feature of the invention is critical or essential unless it is expressly stated as being “critical” or “essential.”